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Blog Blitz – New Happy Octopus and Oceanside Typewriter Sentiments by Jean Okimoto

Welcome to our Spring Collection Blog Blitz!  Watercolors are the backdrop for the new Happy Octopus, Underwater Scene fishes and Oceanside Typewriter Sentiments on today's card.  

Hello, Jean Okimoto here with a nautical design  - and a few techniques.  I'm hoping it looks like the octopus is emerging from the water and greeting the fishes.  

Create a quick ombre look with Blue Breeze Kaleidacolor.  Follow the instrucions on the container to move the individual inkpads together for brayering, but separated for storage.  Spritz the smoother side of watercolor with water.  Ink a 4" soft rubber brayer by rolling  it repeatedly (about 25 times) over the inks.  Cover the entire inkpad by rolling it in one direction instead of  back and forth.  

Hold the inked brayer horizontally (to prevent drips) and spritz it with water – two spritzes are better than one.  Roll the inks onto the damp watercolor paper.  Air-dry it for a few minutes.  

Spritz it lightly with water, wait a few seconds, then heat-set  both sides to minimize curling. Cut it with the waves and frame section of the Happy Octopus set – run it through your machine with the waves running horizontally instead of vertically.

Here's an easy way to select a specific section of the paper to diecut the fishes - 

Cut the fishes from a Post-It – use the offcut to select the area you want to cut.

Place the die back into the cutout and cut the fishes, exactly where you want them!

Cut the octopus head twice from watercolor paper.  Attach a scrap of black cardstock behind the eyes of one head.  Layer the second head behind it for dimension.  Cut the tentacles.  Attach the head and two tentacles behind the waves.  Slip two tentacles between the wave slots and tape them behind the waves.  

Stamp the greeting from the Oceanside Typewriter Sentiments set on the smoother side of watercolor paper with Electric Purple Radiant Neon.  Emboss it with detail clear powder.  Cut it into a strip with the scalloped edge of the wave section.

Attach the diecuts to a Violet Notecard – use foam dots for the fishes, greeting and octopus head.  Color clear gem stickers with a Sharpie or Copic Marker that matches the greeting.  The ink is much pinker that it appears on the inkpad.

Want a chance to win the whimsical Happy Octopus die set?  Add a comment on  this post by Sunday, March 3rd at 11:59pm EST.  One comment will be selected at random to win the set.  There will be a chance to win one of the new release items each day this week through Sunday.  Winners will be announced on the blog on Monday, March 4th at 6pm EST.  Good luck!

Big thanks to everyone from Sunday's GREETINGS FROM BIRCH PRESS class at Impress!  Hope you like the cards – and all of the techniques we used with those great dies and stamps.  Thanks also to  Ann, Erin and Lynne for your help in finding the supplies we needed for our cards.

Be sure to comment on all of the Design Team's blitz posts.  Hope you're a winner!

Supplies

 

94227 Happy Octopus craft die
94224 Underwater Scene craft die
CL5240 Oceanside Typewriter Sentiments clear stamp set

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52 Comments

  1. Such a pretty palette and sweet design on this ocean themed card. Thanks for sharing this inspiration with these fun products.

  3. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the Happy Octopus and Underwater Scene craft dies!! In fact, this whole release (and the inspiration) is AMAZING!! Thank you!!

  4. Awesome card! I love the colors in the inkpad you used! Perfect for your background circle and scene!

  6. Am enjoying the ocean themes and happy to see hand-painted backgrounds being used for these cards.

  13. I haven’t used my brayed in ages. Seeing this project, I’m going to have to find it. Thanks for sharing.

  14. Such a fun card! Love the way the octopus’ arms come up through slits in the die. Thanks for sharing!

  19. These are such fun dies! Love your cute scene. Thanks for the idea for creating a beautiful ombre look with the brayer and ink pad. Love to try these different techniques and learn how to expand the use of my products on hand!

  21. There is that octopus again!! Your watercolor is beautiful and the technique is terrific. Thank you Jean!

  24. This is lovely! I would love to win the octopus die as I have already purchased the Oceanside Typewriter sentiments and they go so well together!

  29. Love the background technique – and how it could translate to a night sky, for example, wth different colors. Super cute octopus :). Love that die!!!

  40. Jean, your card is just perfect ! It sure will put a smile on anyone’s face. Thanks for sharing your technique for making your background too.

  47. You can’t help but smile when you see your card Jean. Thanks for the great idea for inking a water or sky background!

  51. I’ll have to pull out my kaleidacolor pads; haven’t used them in a while. Great idea and cute card!

  52. Super, super adorable!! And I love the way you made this background with the ink pad and brayer! Looks fantastic!

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